Student Librarians: Contributors in Our Learning Community

Our student librarians are contributors and leaders in our Elementary School community. Over the first half of the year, our student librarian team, made up of Grade 3, 4 and 5 volunteer students, have given hours of their time each week to work in the Elementary Library.

The student librarians volunteer during one of three times during the day; early morning before school, recess times or after school until 4pm. The team began the year with training sessions with Ms. Bello and Ms. Pollock, learning the layout of the library, the circulation system, and basic library procedures.

Responsibilities of the the student librarians include organizing shelves, assisting others in the library, cleaning books, shelving, managing the circulation desk and helping with special project such as visiting authors preparations.

We are excited to take our first ever student librarians field trip in March to the Emirates Literature Festival to see Francesca Simon, author of the Horrid Henry series.

We look forward to more outstanding work from our student librarians as the school year continues. Thank you for all your hard work and dedication and for setting an example for the rest of the community about what it means to give your time and make a difference!

Reimagining ASD Libraries

ASD Libraries are always working to improve and to enhance the experience for our students and our community. Our goal is to live our vision for ASD Libraries, making it a reality. 

"ASD Libraries serve to inspire and guide students on their personal learning pathways. The libraries provide students with ubiquitous access to relevant information through dynamic virtual and physical spaces. The libraries are a model and center for collaboration, communication and innovation."

As a K-12 Library team, we developed targets to help us reimagine our libraries and work towards our vision of dynamic spaces that enhance learning for a variety of students:

1. Create distinctive ASD Libraries identity and signage.
2. Develop collaborative, flexible study rooms and classrooms.
3. Create multi-purpose learning areas using dynamic, flexible and varied seating.
4. Enhance and showcase print collection with versatile, mobile shelving.
5. Create flexible check-in and circulation system.

Since June, our libraries have added new flexible and varied seating. Some seating provides opportunities for collaboration and some for independent reading. Some are "5-minute chairs" and some are "curl-up and stay for an hour" chairs. We realize that a variety of learners need a variety of seating.

Our library study rooms and classrooms have all had a major remodel. We have tables on wheels and light-weight stackable chairs. The rooms can be easily reconfigured in just a few minutes to meet the needs of learning and instruction. We have also added white boards to each space for students to show their thinking, either independently or as a group.

New book browsing bins and new magazine display shelving have also been added to enhance our students' browsing experience. A special thank you PTSA for helping fund our new front-facing magazine shelving and storage in both the Elementary and Secondary Libraries. We greatly appreciate your continued support as we make our libraries the best they can be for our students.

Students are excited about the new additions and changes! We love making improvements when our students are so appreciative and responsive to the changes. Look our for even more exciting additions in the next semester!

Congratulations summer readers!

Over the past few weeks, Mr. Advento, Ms. Bello and I have been visiting classes to congratulate students in K1-Grade 5 who participated in the Superhero Summer Reading Challenge. In total, 102 elementary students completed the challenge. Each student was presented with a certificate and congratulated by his or her homeroom class and teacher.

Students were encouraged to set a challenge for themselves over the summer. Reading across genres was encouraged as well as reading in-depth within an area of interest. Our students recorded their reading progress in a variety of different ways. Some documented their reading using images of the book covers, some made lists or collages, some used the Superhero grid, some made their own charts -- each one was unique and reflected thoughtful reading!

We have enjoyed hearing about all of the wonderful books our elementary students read over the summer. Congratulations to all of our super readers! And here's to another year of setting reading goals together.

Back to School Night

Welcome Back for a SUPER Year in ES Library

Welcome back to all of our students, parents, teachers and staff! Our library team is thrilled to begin another exciting school year at ASD. 

We have a super team in the ES Library this year! Joining us is Mary Kelly Bello, our new K1-5 Librarian, and Kate Rodden, our new Library Assistant. Returning from our team is Mara Ziemele and Parvis Somani, as library assistants, and myself, Natasha Pollock, also a K1-5 Librarian this year.

All of our students from K1 through Grade 5 have now visited the library with their classes at least once during the first rotation. We have also enjoyed greeting our student visitors as recess times during the day. Don't forget we are open also before school from 7:30-7:50 am and also after school from 3-4pm. It's great to see many families already getting into a routine of visiting the library.

Our newest K1 students have taken tours of their new library and practiced reading books together. We love how excited our K1 boys and girls are about finding books to share and to read at home. All grade levels thought about how we can use the ASD Core Values to make our library a super place to learn.

 Our shelves are bursting with books just waiting to be read! Stop by the library for a visit!